But he says it's the music that has been the “driving force” throughout his life.

“It’s just a part of me,” Thornton said during a recent phone interview. Growing up in Arkansas, he and his friends were into two things: sports and music.

"We loved the Beatles and we loved baseball," Thornton said. Then he laughed. "Music, I stuck with, and baseball, I got too old to play."

Saturday, April 18, Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters, will take the stage at Boondocks Pub in Springfield. The performance is part of a tour marking Tuesday’s release of the band's newest album, a two-disc set called "Somewhere Down The Road."

Thornton, who plays the drums and provides vocals, is joined by J.D. Andrew and Brad Davis, both on guitar, and Teddy Andreadis on the keyboard. Individually, the members have released multiple albums as well as appeared on Grammy award-winning projects such as Warren Zevon’s “The Wind” and Earl Scruggs’ “Earl Scruggs & Friends.”

The Boxmasters have toured extensively across North America and Canada both as headliners as well as the opening act for Willie Nelson and Family, Elvis Costello, George Thorogood and ZZ Top.

“We don’t have the fans like Bruce Springsteen, but we do have a core following. They love the music, and so do we,” Thornton said.

Common ground

The Boxmasters formed in 2007 after Thornton and Andrew met. Andrew was sound engineer for Thornton’s solo album, “Beautiful Bore.” When Thornton needed a guitar player for another project, he asked Andrew.

They’ve worked together ever since, and developed the unique sound that is the Boxmasters. It’s music that’s been described as Americana rock-and-roll and Modbilly. It includes strains from 1960s rock, country rock and blues.

“We both loved 1960s British invasion music, real country music (think Johnny Cash or Kris Kristofferson) and baseball,” Andrew echoed with a laugh. The four men squeeze their recording time in between other obligations.

“Every time we get together, we bang out some tunes,” Andrew said.

“Somewhere Down The Road” is the group’s fourth album, and the culmination of what Andrew describes a “long evolution” of the “hyper-stylized” hillbilly/British invasion music of previous releases. He also said as a two-disc set the album is a bit “bipolar.”

He’s only partly joking.

The first disc features the Boxmasters signature Modbilly sound — upbeat, with rock-and-roll’s manic driving rhythms, and lots of harmonizing. The second disc is more lyrical, quieter and introspective, moody. Thornton’s lyricism is on display in both. The mixing on both discs is prime; you can hear the singers as well as the lyrics.

“Billy writes the lyrics, we co-write the music. Billy has so many song ideas and lyrics going through his mind all the time,” Andrew said. As for the mixing, that’s his forte.

“I have the freedom to remix it. Probably the most important thing to Billy is his lyrics, and we want people to understand what we’re singing,” he said, noting that while he still does some engineering outside of the Boxmasters, in addition to his family this is where most of his focus lies.

“I’ve been spoiled by what I do, and I like doing it more than anything else,” he said.

Thornton said he’s always been a writer — short stories, poems, scripts … and lyrics.

“Those things come naturally to me,” he said, noting that writing, like acting or painting or sculpting or composing all “come from the same spirit.”

‘Music geek’

Thornton said he splits his time almost evenly between his music and acting, although he confesses music perhaps edges out acting, since it’s the first love of his life. He had four solo albums before forming the Boxmasters.

Growing up, “I was a music geek … I would read every liner note” on an album, he said. Thornton said he can play guitar well enough to write a song, but it’s the drums that he truly loves to play — he got his first drum set at age 9.

“I loved Ringo (Starr),” Thornton said, noting he was playing in his uncle’s country music band as a teenager.

Thornton admits he’s looking forward to the Springfield gig — he’s a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan. Plus, he feels comfortable in the blue-collar region of the country because it reminds him of where he grew up. Thornton is also looking forward to spending time with the band.

“These are my friends. I don’t hang out with a lot of people,” he said. “They’re my best friends outside my family.”

Information

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The State Journal-Register ~ Street address: One Copley Plaza (corner of Ninth Street and Capitol Avenue), Springfield, ILMailing address: The State Journal-Register, P.O. Box 219, Springfield, IL 62705-0219 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service